The present application generally relates to installation tooling and, more particularly, to installation tooling having a crossover assembly. In one embodiment, particular application is found as an installation tool assembly for swage ring fittings that includes a pair of dual piston chambers connected by a crossover assembly. This arrangement allows a single hose to be used to connect the installation tool assembly to a hydraulic source, such as a hydraulic pump. While particular reference will be made to an installation tool assembly having a crossover assembly for hydraulically connecting two sets of dual piston chambers to a hydraulic pressure source via a single hose, it is to be appreciated that the invention may relate to other similar environments and applications.
Generally, one type of fitting for fluid conduits, such as tubes or pipes, includes a connector body that fits loosely over the fluid conduit and a swage ring which compresses and/or physically deforms the connector body against the outside surface of the fluid conduit to provide one or more seals and to provide a strong mechanical connection.
Prior art tools for assembling such a fitting to a fluid conduit often include a fixed jaw, a movable jaw and one or more hydraulic cylinders for moving the movable jaw toward the fixed jaw. The jaws can be configured to grip the swage ring and the connector body such that, upon actuation, the jaws forcibly move the swage ring over the connector body thereby causing the connector body to compress or move radially into the fluid conduit to provide a seal and a mechanical connection. When the swaging is complete, hydraulic pressure in the one or more hydraulic cylinders is reduced to allow the tool to be removed from the fitting. Examples of prior art installation tools are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,817 (“Hydraulic Assembly Tool for Tube Fittings”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,510 (“Hydraulic Assembly Tool with Improved Load Bearing Arrangement for Tube Fittings”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,670 (“Secure Swaging Tool”); U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,808 (“Compact Installation Tool”); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,919 (“Remote Actuation of Installation Tooling Pump”); and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050183258 (“Hydraulic Hand Tool”), all expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Many prior art installation tools receive hydraulic power via a hydraulic fluid pumped through a hydraulic hose assembly from a remotely positioned hydraulic pressure supply. The hydraulic pressure supply can include a pump and an electric motor for driving the pump. One prior art installation tool assembly includes a pair of dual piston chambers that are fluidly connected to a remote hydraulic pressure supply pump through a hose assembly. The installation tool assembly having two sets of dual piston chambers has been found to be particularly suitable for forcibly moving swage rings over corresponding connector bodies when the swage rings and connector bodies (together referred to as a fitting) are relatively large in size (such as, for example, when the fitting is 3 NPS or larger).
In order to provide pressurized and hydraulic fluid to both of a pair of dual piston chambers, the hose assembly typically includes a first elongated flexible hose fluidly connecting the first set of dual piston chambers to a remotely spaced Y-manifold and a second elongated flexible hose fluidly connecting the second set of dual piston chambers to the Y-manifold. A third elongated flexible hose is typically used to connect the Y-manifold to the pump. Often, conventional male/female quick disconnects are provided on each of the dual piston chambers, the hoses, the Y-manifold and the hydraulic pump for making readily disconnectable fluid connections between the aforementioned components.
Employment of the Y-manifold, also referred to herein as an adapter, with two elongated hoses of about equal length was generally expected to ensure that both sets of dual piston chambers would operate simultaneously upon generation of hydraulic pressure by the pump. However, it has been found that, under certain conditions, the hydraulic connections formed by mating male and female quick disconnects can come loose without the knowledge of the operator of this type of installation tool assembly. This may occur, for example, when the mating quick disconnects are mechanically connected but not so connected as to open a hydraulic flow path. If a hydraulic connection is not properly made with each of the equal length elongated hoses and only one set of the dual piston chambers is fluidly connected to the pump, severe damage could result due to high forces developed by the hydraulic pressure acting on only one set of the pistons in the one set of chambers.
Accordingly, there is a need to minimize the number of connections required in installation tool assemblies employing multiple and spaced apart piston chambers. Further, any improvements that cause the installation tool assembly and/or its base assembly to be less cumbersome, more compact and/or more mobile are also deemed desirable.